Description

1853 P1C One Cent, Judd-151, Pollock-178, Low R.6, PR65 NGC.
The obverse is the regular die for the gold quarter eagle, while
the custom reverse features an open wreath with a cockeyed bow and
widely separated ONE / CENT. Struck with a plain edge in an
"unspecified" metal according to Judd, possibly some mixture of
copper, nickel, and zinc; the surfaces have a nickel color. This
piece appears fully struck throughout, but some dark flecks appear
on the obverse. These pieces were early Mint experiments to find a
suitable metal alloy to replace the "old copper" large cents.
Census: 3 in 65, 1 finer (11/11). (PCGS# 11628)